Following the Al-Quds Day march and rally in central London yesterday, Matthew has written to the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, seeking the proscription of the political wing of Hezbollah and the banning of future demonstrations.

The annual rally was marred by the display of Hezbollah flags and anti-Semitic comments over the state of Israel. In September 2015 Matthew wrote to the Metropolitan Police to make a complaint that Hezbollah flags were being displayed outside 10 Downing Street during the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister. This is believed to be a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act as Hezbollah’s External Security Organisation was proscribed in March 2001 and in 2008 the proscription was extended to Hezbollah’s Military apparatus including the Jihad Council. The then Home Secretary, Theresa May, agreed with Matthew on this point. 

Matthew has written to the current Home Secretary to demand that the political wing of Hezbollah is proscribed under the Terrorism Act, that police take legal action against individuals identified making racial and religious slurs, and that the rally is blocked from occurring next and subsequent years.

Matthew said: "The police in London are currently stretched with the threat of terrorism, the possibility of a further terrorist attack, and the problems caused by the terrible Grenfell Tower tragedy. It was thoughtless and irresponsible for the organisers of the Al-Quds rally to go ahead yesterday in what has become an annual rally that was introduced by the Iranian regime to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to oppose the existence of Israel. 

"Whilst we might all agree in the principal of free speech, we do not all agree in the freedom to shout racial and religious slurs and slanders and I have urged the Home Secretary to ban this rally in future years."